


The Godparents

by emma98



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes and unorthodox babysitting, Bucky and Natasha are the best godparents a kid could ask for, F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic, Shieldshock quick burn, Slice of Life, buckynat slow burn, domestic fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-19 19:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8222788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emma98/pseuds/emma98
Summary: Jack Rogers is smart and sassy like his mommy, funny and a little super strong like his daddy, and absolutely the apple of Uncle Bucky and Aunt Natasha's eyes.  He just turned five and he's ready for all sorts of adventures and fun.  One of those adventures will definitely have to be making sure that Uncle Bucky and Aunt Natasha finally start doing cute things together.  Like holding hands.  And hugging.  And getting married.





	1. PG13 Movies for Five Year Olds

**Author's Note:**

> One WIP is finished, and another one begins.
> 
> Prepare yourself for tooth rotting fluff (and the first story I'm doing where Bucky and Nat are the main couple (and Steve and Darcy are still featured, cause of reasons)).

  
**Chapter One:  PG13 for Five Year Olds**   


"You do know that this is a terrifically terrible idea, don't you?"

 

Bucky looked up with a furrowed brow, wondering when Natalia had gotten so good at sneaking up on him.  He blamed Jack.  He was a distraction, and Bucky couldn't help it if he didn't hear Natalia's silent footfalls behind him.  The smell of her perfume, a decadently rich musky scent that she applied so sparingly that the forty-year old bottle of the stuff would last her another ageless forty years, did not announce her presence.  

 

Truth be told, Bucky was so accustomed to having her so close at hand, the smell of her was comfortable and expected, clinging to his skin when she did leave.  And if when she was on long missions, he pulled out the hooded sweatshirt of his that she wore when he kept the temperature below freezing during the summer, well, no one would ever know about the long, luxuriant sniffs he would take when alone.  (Especially not Wilson, because he had paid that ransom to the greedy fly boy and he was going to keep his mouth shut about it or there would be metal armed hell to pay).

 

"Jack's a big boy, he wants a real Halloween, and we're gonna go to a flicker and get properly scared, right, big boy?" Bucky smiled down at the five year old boy who could have been Steve Roger's clone, except for the fact that the boy had his mother's shade of blue eyes, blue and green like the waters of calm and beautiful  tropical oceans instead of that Rogers' baby blue of patriotism and righteousness.  

 

"Aunt Nats, I'm a big boy now, I went to kid-nergarten for four whole weeks now, I can count backwards and spell stuff and everything, like B-A-T, and C-A-T and M-A-T," Jack recited.  

 

"N-A-T?" Bucky prodded.

 

"Aunt N-A-T," Jack nodded, a big beaming smile on his face as he nodded proudly.  "Uncle Bucky said we were gonna go to the fancy flickers with the red seats that tilt back and are comfy cozy.  And I get to have butter on my popcorn!  And I we're gonna sneak in candy, but we're not supposed to tell anyone."

 

Bucky slapped his hand against his forehead.

 

"You're too cheap for concession stand candy?" Natasha wondered.

 

"Not too cheap, those movie theaters don't have the candy I want," Bucky disputed.  He wanted tiny 100 Grand bars and gosh darnit if he had to sneak them in, he was going to do just that.  He looked down at Jack and ruffled the fine golden locks that spilled over the boy's forehead.  "Uncle Buck is never cheap with you, is he Jack?"

 

"No sir, Uncle Bucky gets Jack all the good toys," Jack nodded eagerly.  "But Aunt Nats gets Jack good toys too!"

 

"That I do, sweet angel boy," Natasha grinned.  She looked back up at Bucky and shook her head.  "This is still a very bad idea."

 

"Grown up movie in the red seats and buttered popcorn!" Jack's eyes were wide with distress, and in that moment, he looked exactly like Steve, except probably more precious and adorable.  

 

"No worries little man, we are definitely going to the grown up movie," Bucky nodded.  "Why don't you go and hit the head one more time, since you don't like public restrooms."

 

"Uncle Bucky, they're DISGUSTING!" Jack over enunciated the word, sounding just like his mother.  "I DON'T WANT AN FECTION DISEASES!"

 

"Okay, alright, go on, and grab your jacket, it's cool out," Natasha ordered the little man.  Jack was good with orders, unlike both of his parents.  She watched him speed off, with just a touch of that unnatural speed that Steve possessed.  It was adorable to see Jack's enhancements become clear the older he got.  Steve and Darcy had always spoken about how strong Jack was, as early as five hours old, but when he had his first day of school and accidentally broke the swing set at school, then it became a little clearer that Steve and Darcy had not been exaggerating.  

 

Natasha smirked at Bucky, who was looking her over from head to toe, unabashedly.  Natasha knew that she and Bucky had crossed paths before in life.  But the memories had been mostly burned from both of them.  When he had come out of cryofreeze in Wakanda that last time, and his triggers were removed, Bucky remembered just a little bit more than Natasha, but he never said anything.  

 

Still, thanks to Steve and Darcy, their paths kept crossing.  At first it had been barbeques and house parties, an attempt by Darcy and Steve to spend time together under the guise of group friendship.  Then in the span of a year it had been engagement parties, a shared bachelor/bachelorette party (a raucous affair planned by Sam Wilson and funded by Thor's bottomless Asgardian pockets in a planet whose name Bucky could never pronounce), and then rehearsal dinners and a wedding (where Bucky and Natasha had gotten drunk on Asgardian meade and maybe woke up in the same bed, naked and pleasantly sore), and then, exactly one year after that first barbeque on Steve's rooftop patio in his Brooklyn apartment, the birth of little Jack.  

 

Bucky and Natasha were now co-godparents.  And friends with really great benefits.  

 

"That movie is too scary for him," Natasha advised.

 

"The adverts said it was a cross between Harry Potter and the Extraordinary People.  Jack loves both of those things," Bucky shrugged.

 

"It's too scary, he's going to have nightmares," Natasha warned.  "And how long do you have him for?"

 

"Steve has an overnight thing planned after their ultrasound, some sort of Mommy-to-be retreat where they both get to have a massage even though Darcy's the one with a four month old baby in her belly and Steve is just a mook who got to go without a raincoat and not pull out for once," Bucky said plainly, smirking at the idea of it.  He was very well versed in 21st century contraceptives, but he still liked to kid around with Steve about the old ways.

 

"What's a mook?" Jack wondered.  

 

Natasha had the good grace not to say anything.  She did however give Bucky a heavy eye roll and two sarcastic thumbs up when Jack was busy figuring out which shoe went on which foot.  After three switches, he finally figured it out and velcro strapped his Thor themed sneakers tightly.  He then turned those gorgeous blue eyes, batting the eyelashes he had inherited from his father up at his godmother/Aunt.

 

“Aunt Nats, you’re coming too, right?  We can flip up the arm thing and cuddle?” Jack asked hopefully.

 

“Yeah, Aunt Nats, we could flip up the arm thing and cuddle,” Bucky winked at her over Jack’s head.  

 

“Fine, but you’re sneaking in a king sized Whatchamacallit for me,” Natasha looked at Bucky severely.

 

“Now where on Earth am I going to stash that?” Bucky waggled his eyebrows at her.

 

“Amateur.”

 

* * *

 

 

The movie had been great.  The first hour and thirty minutes of it anyway.  Jack was a trooper, only asking to go the bathroom once, and not spilling the popcorn everywhere (mostly, he just got it under his shirt).  But then the thing happened on the movie screen and Jack made a little squawking noise and put two chubby hands on his chubby little cheeks and stared at the screen where the bad guy had just had his eyes removed by the tentacle monster thing.  

 

Bucky winced and looked to Natasha, who gave him a commiserating look that only vaguely resembled _I told you so_.  The credits rolled and the lights slowly came up and Jack removed his hands from his cheeks and looked at his godfather as if he had been betrayed.

 

“Why did you make me watch that, Uncle Bucky?  It was NOT appropriate!”

 

Bucky gave a slight grimace and stood up from the very comfortable reclining seat.  He nodded and ruffled Jack’s fine blond hair.  Natasha was now smirking at him over Jack’s head, definitely moving from commiserating straight into the full blown _I told you so_ expression.  

 

“You and Aunt Nats shoulda come seen it first,” Jack was definitely a little whiny, which Darcy usually scolded him for, but at this point both godparents seemed to think he deserved to whine a little.  “And you shoulda tested it out and then if it was appropriate you could have taken me, but now I’m gonna have _nightmares_ and it’s gonna be _awful_!”

 

Natasha arched an eyebrow at Bucky, silently asking him where her darling little Jack had gotten all of this sassy righteousness from.  It was more than just Steve’s genetics at play here.  Bucky rolled his eyes and crossed his hands so that it looked like a bird flapping it’s wings.  She nodded.  Of course.  Wilson.  He was always trying to get little Jack to be as obnoxious and dramatic as possible.  Apparently Sam found it hilarious for Steve to get what he fondly called _a taste of his own medicine_.

 

“I just don’t know WHAT I’m going to do,” Jack sighed.  “Why’d you let me see his eyeballs get sucked outta his head?  WHY?”

 

Bucky truly felt guilty.  He hadn’t checked the movie out first.  Jack had always liked spooky things.  His mother had discovered that Tim Burton movies were soothing for the little man when he was fussy with teething.  He usually had no problems with ghosts or zombies or ax wielding murderers, in fact, he found them amusing.  But eyeball removal via tentacle sucking was apparently just one hair too much.  

 

Bucky gave Natasha a pleading look.  He knew she had been right.  He was even willing to say it out loud.  Thankfully, Natasha was feeling benevolent and gave him a soft smile that Bucky knew she had given him lifetimes ago as well.  

 

“Jack, sweet boy, what do you say we go to Toys R’ us?” Natasha said gently, in that lovely, cajoling way of hers that usually had Jack nearing a state of compliance that Bucky’s old triggers would have been jealous of.  

 

“Oh, goodie!” Jack grinned, one hundred percent fully recovered.  “That’ll be great.  I forgot about the eyeballs already.”

 

“Thanks,” Bucky whispered as they followed Jack up the aisle of the theatre.  

 

“You owe me,” Natasha smirked.

 

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded.  His right hand brushed against her left as the walked side by side to the theatre exit.  “You staying over tonight?  You know---just in case of nightmares?”

 

Her smirk slowly turned into a genuine smile and she reached her hand out and grasped his, her fingers slotting into place with his fingers.  The way Bucky’s eyes softened at the contact, going a little heavy lidded as he stared back at her with a small curve tilting his lips upwards made Natasha sure that it had been the right thing to do.  Darcy and Steve may have met, gotten pregnant, engaged, married and had a child in the span of a year and in that order, but their lightning quick pacing wasn’t for everyone.  

 

Five years after their first cognizant tumble in the sheets in the new century seemed to be the right kind of pacing for Bucky and Natasha to start holding hands in public every once in awhile.  Probably.  

 

“Yeah, Aunt Nats, we can have a sleepover!” Jack called out excitedly.  “We can get candy and new lego sets to put together, and watch a movie that DOESN’T have eyeballs getting sucked out of people’s heads!”

 

“Not exactly what I had in mind,” Bucky shrugged.  His smile got a little more noticeable as they walked towards the car.  “But I’ll take it.”


	2. Undercover Kindergarten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why writing kid fic makes me so calm and happy, but I'm glad to have found the outlet. Because now I'm calm and happy like, all of the time!

**Chapter Two: Undercover Kindergarten**

 

* * *

  
  


"Hey, can you do me a big favor?"

 

Bucky looked up from his meticulous studying of city sewer blueprints, which was painfully boring, but necessary.  Security was not only a luxury for Bucky, it was an absolute necessity.  When Darcy and Steve had announced at their three month dating anniversary that they were FOUR months pregnant with Jack, Darcy had had to spray Bucky down with a non-alcoholic champagne bottle thanks to a very sudden panic attack.

 

Darcy and Bucky had some pretty striking similarities when all was said and done.  Bucky focused on the physical safety and security of everyone close to him, whereas Darcy focused on the mental safety and security of everyone close to her.  She'd noticed that when Bucky would panic, he'd go to a nearby sink and splash water over his face.  She'd guessed (correctly), that while he was having trouble breathing over the sudden panic and worry that her pregnancy and its inherent dangers posed to her, Steve and the baby, the best course of action would be to splash something on his face.

 

The bottle of champagne just happened to be on hand.

 

So from that moment forward, Darcy did everything she could to make sure that Bucky always had a heads up on what was going on.  She also made sure that he always had blueprints and diagrams for any and all places she or Jack may ever be.  Currently, Bucky was going over the sewer layout for Jack's first field trip with his kindergarten class.  They were going to an orchard in New Jersey to see how apple cider was made, and Bucky had been meticulously going over a five mile radius of the orchard to ensure his nephew's safety.

 

Bucky had even volunteered to be a chaperone with Darcy.  Not only did he love spending time with Steve's Missus (it was fun to try to rile Steve up with him pretending to want to steal her away ever once in awhile), but also, it would be easiest to protect Little Mrs. Rogers, Little boy Rogers, and future baby Rogers if he was close by.  Bucky's sniping days were pretty much over, seeing as it was nearly impossible to protect a five year old from a distance.  

 

A five year old son of Steve Rogers?  Well, that made things even more interesting.  Bucky took a moment to use some of that old Winter Soldier glare on Steve at that very moment.  He took a step away from the work, not liking to give half of his attention to any one thing.  Immediately, Bucky could see that Steve was not in a good place.

 

"What'd you do, you big mook?" Bucky demanded.

 

"Hey, I'm not always the one screwing up," Steve insisted.

 

Bucky laughed at that.  Loudly.  Explosively.  And for about ten seconds longer than what was considered polite.

 

"Are you gonna help or not, cause I can go and find Sam," Steve huffed out.

 

"Bull shit, Wilson is in South Korea with Helen, currently they're at a day spa where little micro-organisms eat the gross dead cells off of your feet," Bucky rattled off.  "I expect a call to assemble in a few days when the micro-organisms mutate after eating whatever is on Wilson's feet.  It won't be pretty."

 

"Fine...I'll go find Nat if you want to be a pain in my ass," Steve sassed, turning on his heel and ready to walk out the room.

 

"She's on an undercover mission, punk," Bucky reminded him.  "Won't be back for a day or two."

 

"Oh," Steve stopped in his tracks, his back looking a little contrite to Bucky at least.

 

"Run out of options?  Because you could call Stark," Bucky proposed.

 

"Dammit, Buck, can you help me?" Steve sighed, looking annoyed when he turned back around to face his oldest and closest friend.

 

"I always help you, don't I?" Bucky shook his head in mock dismay.  "I just was curious to know what you did this time, you know, so's I can fix it."

 

"Can you pick up Jack from school?" Steve asked.  

 

"It's your day to go get him, I have an extra five security members assigned to trail you just in case," Bucky furrowed his brow.

 

"In case of what?" Steve put his hands on his hips, not liking at all this sudden revelation of extra security members.

 

"Oh, I don't know, in case of a repeat from three months ago, when you took my boy out for ice cream and wound up ten hours late, and three states over after getting involved in breaking up a scam to swindle old people out of money," Bucky recounted.

 

"That was one time, and Jack wanted to---"

 

"Okay, how about the first time Darcy went away with Jane for an observation visit to Toronto, and you wound up fighting a gang of mutant pickpockets with an eighteen month old strapped to your front in a bulletproof baby bjorn?" Bucky brought up.

 

"That was a long time ago," Steve wrinkled his nose.  He shook it off and said, "You know what---"

 

"And let's not forget yesterday, when you let your five year old toss the shield outside and he wound up knocking a security drone out of the sky?" Bucky continued onward, paying Steve's protestations no mind whatsoever.  "And then last night when I caught you giving him pointers for throwing the shield better and more accurately..."

 

"Can you pick Jack up or not?" Steve wondered impatiently.

 

"Course I can, but I can also needle you for about five more hours until I have to pick up my favorite boy, so----" Bucky shrugged.

 

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.  "I fucked up."

 

"No...Steve Rogers?   _ Never _ ," Bucky waved his hand at his face like he had suddenly gotten the vapors.  He even took on the lilting accent of a southern belle.  "Well I do declare, the world has surprises for me yet, Steve Rogers, fucking up?  The horror and surprise of it all!"

 

"Fuck you, Bucky," Steve grumbled.

 

Bucky laughed to himself for a full ninety seconds before taking a deep breath and asking once more, "What'd you do?" 

 

"Told Darcy we were gonna move to a house off base.  I bought one yesterday," Steve said very quickly.  

 

Bucky blinked at him.  

 

Then he held up one stiff vibranium index finger.

 

He took five deep breaths with each step he took towards the kitchen sink in his quarters, then another breath as he turned the water to cold.  

 

He splashed his face six times in total before standing upright and breathing deeply six more times.

 

He grabbed a kitchen towel and wiped off his face before nodding and walking towards Steve, who was patiently waiting for his friend to adjust to this new information.  One thing that was off limits to Steve and all the other Avengers was Bucky's coping mechanisms.  If after seventy years of horrors and atrocities, all the man needed was to wet his face in order to calm and center himself, well then, they were going to let him do that.  

 

But Sam was still not authorized to carry around that spray bottle he insisted on carrying around with him.  He mainly just wanted to spritz water into Bucky's face at will as if the man was a misbehaving kitten.

 

Bucky reached out suddenly and whipped the kitchen towel on the side of Steve's face, the fabric taut and stinging.  Steve wrinkled his nose and took a defensive step back, giving Bucky a pleading look. 

 

"The new baby is due in five months, and we should really have a house," Steve defended his logic.  "Somewhere with a picket fence and a yard for the kids to play."

 

"We have this whole big base full of yards for your kids to play," Bucky reminded him.

 

Steve sighed.  That was what Darcy had said too.

 

"One, you don't go around buying houses at the drop of a hat without consulting your wife," Bucky reached out and snapped the towel against Steve's temple again.  "Two, you don't go around buying houses at the drop of a hat without consulting ME."

 

Steve made a slight wrinkle of his nose at that, which earned him another snap of the towel.  Darcy had told him that too.  She had not had a weapon in her hands at the time though.  Instead she'd thrown hormone induced crying his way, which had hurt him way more than Bucky's towel.

 

"Three, when you have to go off for a week or more, you're just going to let that gorgeous wife of yours and your beautiful children all alone in a house, off base, away from the security grid and security team, and security ME?" Bucky demanded.  "Seriously, Stevie, what the hell?"

 

"My kids deserve to grow up normal, or as normal as they can," Steve said resolutely.

 

"So, we'll build you a normal house on base," Bucky shrugged.  "Two car garage, above ground pool and a white picket fence and everything.  But you can't live off base, not unless it's in Asgard.  That's the only way I'm signing off on that."

 

"I---"

 

Steve's automatic argument died in his throat.  He shrugged at that idea.  He hadn't even considered it.  He'd been so enthralled with the idea of building Darcy a perfect little, normal life, that he hadn't even thought to ask her about it first.  He had to admit the idea of leaving Darcy in a house off base every time he had to go longer than a night was unsettling.  And it would have been downright disruptive to bring her back to base every time.  

 

"A swing set too?" Steve wondered softly.  "Jack's excited about pushing the new baby."

 

"Then a swing set too," Bucky smiled.   "I'll tell him when I go and pick him up."

 

"Okay...good.  So---what should I get to apologize to Darce?" Steve wondered earnestly.  "She's awful mad at me right now."

 

"What was the worst thing she accused you of?" Bucky wondered thoughtfully.

 

"She accused me of not thinking she was an equal part of our relationship," Steve ran his hand through his hair in annoyance with himself.  He absolutely valued Darcy as an equal in their relationship.  They were a team and had been for the last five years and nine months of knowing each other.  

 

But it was one of his big flaws that Steve was willing to admit to: he didn't really think everything through from end to end and side to side.  He jumped into these big personal life decisions now, because the last big personal life decision he had jumped into was asking Darcy if he could kiss her two hours after having been introduced to him, and that had led to the greatest things in his life.  So he just kept living life the way he fought battles.  Feet first, thought later.  

 

That strategy was great when proposing marriage to the mother of his child, but buying a house without telling her and planning to upend her entire life when she was now four months pregnant with their second child, probably not so much.

 

"There's only one way to solve this, pal," Bucky shook his head, fighting a smile.

 

"I can't be tattooed, Buck, you know this, we tried already when I had to apologize for accidentally telling that reporter that I was in love with Darcy three weeks after meeting her," Steve reminded him.

 

"You gotta let her name the new baby," Bucky shrugged.  

 

"But we named Jack together," Steve actually pouted at his best friend.  And they had too, Steve and Darcy had spent a lovely forty-eight hours of downtime (Thanks to a lab incident that had everyone quarantined in their rooms) going over baby books before Jackson Franklin Rogers was named.  

 

"Hey, I'm just telling you, a bouquet and chocolates ain't working this time," Bucky shrugged.  "But what do I know?  I mean, it's not like she calls me her best friend or anything...and you know, Wilson did say that me and Darce were nearly the same animal 'cept for our fun bits."

 

"Stop repeating that," Steve rolled his eyes.  He'd had enough teasing from Sam about how similar Bucky and Darcy were in their personalities.  He'd gotten to the point where he freely admitted that if he and Bucky were gay, then yes, absolutely, they'd probably be married too, already.

  
  


"Stevie, don't pout, she's the one doing all the hard work," Bucky reminded him, as he had reminded him constantly when Darcy had been pregnant with Jack.  "She should get to name the little sprog."

 

"She's gonna name her Starshine or something crazy like that," Steve wrinkled his nose.

 

"Her?" Bucky's eyes went a little wide.

 

"Just a guess," Steve shrugged.  "She's not so sick this time around, and your ma always said that boys make a mother sicker..."

 

"That's baloney," Bucky smiled, although it was a strange thing to be hit with the sudden memory of his own ma, sitting down after a hard day at work, rubbing at her pregnant stomach and saying that she was having a girl, again, since she hadn't such terrible morning sickness like she had with Bucky.  She'd been right then, but Bucky and the world of science knew a lot more about these kinds of things now.  

 

He had a feeling it was a girl too, just based on how small Darcy was carrying this time around.  When she'd been four months old with Jack, she'd had to wear coats in the middle of the summer in order to hide her bump from stray papparazzi trying to get a picture of the girl Steve Rogers claimed to love.  Bucky had created giant purses for her from Pepper Pott's castoffs and reinforced kevlar.  He had her carry those in front of the bump long after the secret got out that Darcy was incubating a super baby.

 

"Go and bring the take out menus, let her pick, then let her rip you a new one and snot on you when she breaks down in tears.  Say you're sorry and that you were wrong and then give her the rights to the baby name," Bucky advised.  "I'll keep Jack overnight.  I promised the boy I'd work on his Halloween costume with him anyway.  Don't look so morose, it'll all work out, pal."

 

"Yeah, yeah.  Thanks, Buck," Steve said genuinely.  "You're right."

 

"I always am."

 

* * *

 

 

Bucky made it to Jack's school with enough time to do a thorough perimeter check.  Jack's school was a small little charming building, made up to look like an old fashioned schoolhouse, complete with a clock tower (where Bucky had a security sentinel staffed around the clock), and a playground.  The school was still in the middle of base, but it was filled with forty children of various ages from the Avenger's base families, including the Bartons, who were pulled in from their life on the farm years ago.

 

Jack was in kindergarten, which was technically only just four other children, but this was a school funded by Pepper Potts, so Bucky wasn't surprised to see a teacher's aide leading the children through the hall from their classroom.  He had approved the hiring of a teacher's aide.  

 

Bucky wasn't the technical security director of the Avenger's base.  But he was definitely the unofficial technical security director of Rogers' life.  So when Pepper had decided that all teachers in the school should get an aide, whether they have one student or not, then Bucky was sure to run his own security checks on every single applicant.  When he had approved little Gilly Hamlin as the kindergarten teacher's aide, he had been approving a young woman, fresh out of college, daughter of a Navy Seal and ex-Shield agent.  

 

Imagine his surprise when he saw little Gilly Hamlin walking the children in a cheerful line towards the front door and seeing that Gilly Hamlin was actually just Natasha Romanoff in a black wig and a photostatic veil.  

 

"Ms. Hamlin," he greeted as Natasha held the door open for the five year old's and watched as they ran gleefully towards their parents.

 

"Mr. Barnes," Natasha greeted back cheerfully.  "Please allow me to consult the list to make sure you're approved to pick up Jack."

 

"Aunt Nats, don't be silly, that's my Uncle Bucky," Jack laughed, hopping down all four steps to the school house in one giant leap.  Another jump had the little enhanced boy in the arms of his Uncle, lavishing kisses on the grown man's cheek.  

 

At the use of her proper name, Natasha narrowed her eyes.  She'd obviously been running this operation for a little while.  Bucky could see how she'd be peeved at having been caught.  She was wearing an improved photostatic veil, her hair was a different color, and if Bucky wasn't mistaken she'd actually changed from right handed to left handed for the undercover work she'd taken on.

 

"How long, my sweet angel boy, have you know that I'm your Aunt Nats?" she wondered, walking down the steps to stand in front of Bucky and Jack.

 

"Since the first day," Jack shrugged.  "You patted my arm just like my Aunt Nats, and then later you laughed at me cause I accidentally sent Preston Chang up into the tree by using the seesaw too hard, and you laughed just like my Aunt Nats, so then I knew you was Aunt Nats, but I thought you was working and I didn't want to ruin your under the covers time."

 

"Thank you for that," Natasha smiled.

 

"Any particular reason you've been undercover as a teacher's aide for four weeks?" Bucky wondered of her.  

 

"Just wanted to make sure you did a good enough job selecting the others," Natasha shrugged.  Bucky gave her an unimpressed look.  The two of them may be unable to commit to a relationship with each other, but they did have faith in the other's special abilities.  She sighed and admitted, "I wanted to spend more time with Jack.  I wanted to make sure he liked school."

 

"I love school!" Jack nodded.  "And I love when Aunt Nats is Ms. Hamlin!"

 

"She can't be Ms. Hamlin forever," Bucky warned.  “And just where is the real Ms. Hamlin that I interviewed months ago?”

 

“Extended summer break with her fiance, travelling the world for free,” Natasha winked at Bucky.  She pet at Jack’s blond locks and said, “And he’s right, sweet angel boy, I can’ stay forever.”

 

"I know," Jack nodded.  "You has to be Aunt Nats when you guys save the world, but when she's bored, she can come back and play with Jack at school!"

 

"That I can," Natasha nodded.

 

"And you can keep spying on Lila Barton!" Jack nodded again.

 

Natasha's surprised face was the same, holomask or not.  

 

"Uncle Clint told her to keep an eye out for Lila, cause she’s acting out and likes a boooooooy," Jack grinned.  "I heard them talking about it with my special ears two weeks ago!"

 

"Special ears, indeed, pal," Bucky smacked a strong kiss against the boy's cheek.  "So, Daddy and Mommy have something to take care of tonight, how about we work on the Halloween costume, order all the pizza and have a sleepover again?"

 

"YES!" Jack squirmed with excitement.  He looked to Natasha hopefully, "Aunt Nats is coming too, right?  Cause she orders the best pizza..."

 

"Of course my sweet angel boy," Natasha smiled.

 

"And you can't wear the mask," Jack shook his head. "Cause Uncle Bucky likes your face how it normally is, all pretty and fresh and clean---"

 

"Pal," Bucky tried to interrupt.

 

"He says he likes you that way best, cause you're the prettiest dame in the whole world!" Jack tattled gleefully.  "Least that's what he told my Mommy last week.  I heard it with my special ears!  And then he said, But Darce you're the second prettiest  dame in the whole world..."

 

Natasha smirked at Jack's imitation of Bucky's gruff voice.

 

“You and your special ears are a menace,” Bucky sighed, ignoring Natasha’s little smirk at him.

 

‘Lemme down, I want to say bye to Ria!” Jack squirmed in Bucky’s hold.  He was off like a rocket, running towards his best friend, the five year old daughter of an analytics specialist on base.  

 

Bucky and Natasha stood together in silence for a few moments before Natasha finally couldn’t hold it in any longer, elbowing Bucky in his side.

 

“Prettiest dame in the whole world?” Natasha wondered.

 

“Natalia, you know that you are,” Bucky looked down at her, trying to find her features behind the photostatic veil.  He reached out a hand and pushed the black hair behind her ear and smiled, those were definitely Natasha’s ears, the veil didn’t go that far back.  

 

“It’s still nice to hear from time to time,” she pursed her lips in a playful manner.  

 

Bucky leaned in, ready to kiss her, when he heard a little chatter behind him with his  _ own _ special ears.  Natasha heard it too and broke apart quickly.  The last thing they needed was for base gossip to start about the Winter Soldier romancing a twenty-one year old teacher’s aide.  

 

“So, pizza tonight?” Bucky mumbled.

 

“I’ll see you in an hour,” Natasha nodded before walking back into the school.

 

Jack had returned by then and grabbed his Uncle’s left hand, squeezing it hard enough for the sensor’s to register a little bit of pain.  Bucky looked down and lifted an eyebrow, their secret signal for Jack to let up on the super strength a little.  Jack let up and they began walking towards the building with the Avengers’ quarters.  

 

“Aunt Nats is so nice and pretty,” Jack said conversationally.  

 

“That she is, pal,” Bucky agreed.

 

“I’d like to marry Aunt Nats someday,” Jack decided.

 

“Would you now?”

 

“Yeah, but hopefully no other wiseacre gets the idea that he should be marrying her first.  I think I can get Mommy’s permission to marry her when I’m finally a teenager, so we have a coupla years left,” Jack said with a little shit stirring smirk he had inherited from his father on his face.  

 

“That sounds like a good plan,” Bucky said with forced cheerfulness.  “But what happens in Aunt Nats falls in love before you’re a teenager.”

 

“Oh, that won’t happen cause she already loves you,” Jack shrugged.  

 

“You hear that with your special ears?” Bucky wondered, not daring to believe it for a second.

  
“No, silly head, I just know,” Jack shrugged.  “But you won’t marry her, so I’ll do it when I’m a teenager.”

 

“Alright pal, whatever you say,” Bucky chuckled.  He reached down for the boy and hoisted him up easily on his shoulder.  “What do you say we stop at the commissary and grab some ice cream for tonight?”

 

“And sprinkles and whipped cream and little tiny M&M’s to put on top?” Jack wiggled in his place.  

 

“Aunt Nats likes reese’s pieces,” Bucky reminded him helpfullly.

 

“Yup, and you already have some in your cabinet next to the microwave!” Jack countered cheerfully.  “Cause Aunt Nats like sweets after kissing and stuff and stuff.”

 

Bucky laughed a little and shook his head.  He patted Jack’s calves and looked up at Jack’s shit eating little smile.  “Do me a favor and never tell your ma that you know what Aunt Nats likes after kissing and stuff.  Just cause of reasons.”

  
“Okay, Uncle Bucky.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
